Chapter 24: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Back in the dormitory, Xu Chen was surprised to find that Song Tian wasn't playing video games. Instead, he was just staring at his phone, looking utterly devastated.

"What’s wrong, little coward? Did your girlfriend run off with someone else?"

"Get lost," Song Tian retorted. "Big brother, I’m in a bad mood. Just let me be for a while."

"Why? Let me in on it so I can have a laugh too."

Only then did Song Tian look at Xu Chen with a dejected expression, realizing he couldn't shake off this rogue. "It’s nothing much. My dad is sick. His health is failing, and the company is in turmoil."

"So? Is your dad asking you to go back to take charge? You’ll clear out the company’s parasites, resolve the crisis, expand the business, skyrocket your net worth, and reach the pinnacle of life?"

Song Tian was almost amused by Xu Chen. "It’s not that dramatic. If my dad can't manage the company, my sister is there. Besides, this turmoil isn't an internal conflict; it’s mainly due to supply issues from abroad. My sister says she has a plan."

"Then what are you worrying about?"

"My dad is sick, and I’m worried. He’s always been so good to me."

Xu Chen looked Song Tian up and down. "I never would’ve guessed you were such a filial son. I recall you never even called home before."

Xu Chen stopped himself when he saw Song Tian’s eyes turn red, his expression one of genuine sorrow.

"I... I don’t know. Before, my dad was always the one calling me. Back then, there was some friction, and I was being stubborn and ignoring him. I thought he was just angry at me for not calling..."

Xu Chen didn't know what to say, so he just patted him on the shoulder in comfort.

"Um... you’re a medical student. Help me take a look at what’s going on with my dad." With that, Song Tian handed the phone he had been looking at to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen was only half-baked in his studies, but to comfort Song Tian, he decided to take a look anyway. At the very least, he could say a few kind words to ease his friend's mind.

Song Tian’s phone showed his chat history with his sister, which contained quite a few diagnostic reports. Xu Chen picked the official diagnosis from the doctor, figuring he couldn't compare himself to a professional anyway.

When Xu Chen saw it, he was stunned. The bottom of the report clearly stated: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), accelerated phase.

To be honest, Xu Chen’s mind went blank.

Some might not know what Chronic Myeloid Leukemia is, but those who have seen the movie *Dying to Survive* might find it familiar. It was the disease the patients in the film suffered from, and the character Lü Shouyi, in particular, died due to the pressure this illness placed on him.

By that point, Lü Shouyi was already in the blast crisis phase, and Gleevec was no longer effective. The only option left was a bone marrow transplant, which had a very low success rate.

Xu Chen had been interested in the illnesses featured in the film and had done a little research, so he had a rough understanding. He knew that the accelerated phase of CML was not much different from the blast crisis phase; both were considered terminal stages where medicine could do little.

However, Xu Chen looked at the expectant Song Tian.

His family background was not bad at all. It really lived up to the saying that there is only one disease in the world: the disease of being poor.

If there is money, perhaps prolonging life isn't such a difficult task.

But his father’s company was in trouble too...

"How is it, Old Xu?"

"What’s the rush? I haven't finished reading yet."

Xu Chen lowered his head to read further. Since a diagnosis had been made, there must be a treatment plan. He needed to see what these professionals had to say.

Strangely enough, as Xu Chen looked at the treatment methods, there didn't seem to be anything specifically targeted. They were only treating the superficial complications and hadn't prescribed the original Gleevec, Imatinib, or similar drugs for CML.

He found it odd. Even in the accelerated phase, it wasn't hopeless; it could still be treated. Why not even provide the medication?

"Forgive me for asking, but who is currently making the decisions regarding your father’s treatment?"

"My sister. Why?"

"Are your sister and your father not on good terms?"

"How could that be? My dad treated her the same as he treated me—he was great. If my sister hadn't already left to keep the company from stalling, she would have wanted to put everything on hold just to take care of him."

It didn't seem to be some soap-opera-style power grab. While such things happen, they aren't the norm. In society, bad people are rare, which is why it’s so shocking when they appear.

"Did your father have medical advice before? What did the doctor say then?"

"What do you mean 'what did they say'? I don’t know. I only just found out. My dad has had this for a month, which is why he didn't call me; he didn't want me to worry."

Xu Chen smacked his forehead, forgetting that the two had been feuding and that Song Tian had been throwing a tantrum, refusing to call or communicate.

Then, it dawned on Xu Chen that there was something wrong with what Song Tian said.

"You mean he’s had this for a month?"

"Yeah, that’s what my sister said the doctor told her."

Xu Chen frowned and scrolled up through the chat history. He found a diagnostic report from a month ago at the very top. It was indeed a fresh diagnosis of CML. At the time, it was only in the early stage. The doctor had prescribed standard medication, and the follow-up treatment seemed perfectly fine.

But for it to progress from the early stage to the accelerated phase while on regular medication—wasn't that a bit too fast?

One should keep in mind that there’s a reason it’s called "chronic" myeloid leukemia. It primarily involves issues in the later stages of blood cell development, so even if there is an illness, the progression should be quite slow.

Xu Chen continued down the chat history. The subsequent two follow-up reports showed abnormal progression of the CML. The first report was from the initial doctor, but the second one was signed by someone else.

It seemed the first doctor lacked experience and couldn't handle it, so they had a second doctor look at it. The second doctor’s signature was clearly more elegant—it looked like the work of a master hematologist, perhaps even a department head.

That second doctor had prescribed Imatinib, a targeted therapy for CML, along with other drugs Xu Chen didn't recognize. Judging by the receipts, they were very expensive, but effective.

After that came a long period of monitoring. Diagnostic tests were continuous, with bone marrow aspirations done nearly every few days. Medications and therapies were changed frequently, along with quite intense chemotherapy. Xu Chen found it hard to imagine how the patient had endured it all.

Yet, despite all this, the illness seemed like a trickling stream; no matter how you tried to block it, it found gaps to flow through and spread, impossible to stop.

It wasn't until it reached the accelerated phase that Song Tian’s sister reached her limit and finally contacted him.

The reason the doctor hadn't provided the medication was that it had already been tried and had no effect on the disease. They stopped the medication because the patient's body could no longer withstand the chemotherapy.

When Xu Chen saw the final diagnosis, it was exactly what he had seen at the beginning: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML), accelerated phase.

Only then did he understand why the doctor had prescribed such trivial medications.

Song Tian’s father was like someone on a tilted cliff, hanging over a thousand-ton boulder. The doctors had exhausted every method to pull him up, but any more force would only hasten his fall into the abyss. Now, they could only keep him suspended by a rope, watching him slide step by step into the void.

However, Xu Chen looked at the diagnosis again. It hadn't been long. It was possible the doctors were also looking for a way out, preparing for a major intervention. Perhaps they were holding off on certain drugs to avoid interfering with future treatment; that was also a possibility.

After all, CML is a type of blood cancer, and cutting-edge medicine does have certain treatments for cancer—namely, gene therapy.

It’s expensive, but it’s effective.